This invention generally relates to ultrasound imaging systems. In particular, the invention relates to the design of ultrasound transducer probes for use in an ultrasound imaging system.
Designing the probe in an ultrasound imager is a difficult task because of the large number of factors involved. A typical probe comprises several layers whose dimensions determine its mechanical and electrical behavior. Prior art [see, e.g., R. E. McKeighen, “Optimization of Broadband Transducer Designs by Use of Statistical Design of Experiments,” IEEE Trans. Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 63–70 (1996)] has described statistical means to seek optimal behavior of the impulse response of the device. However, this work neglects the increasingly significant coupling between the imager parameters and the probe design. Particularly when the aperture is divided into several rows in the slice thickness [elevation] dimension, such as in active matrix arrays, the image quality consequences of such coupling becomes acute. The business requirement is for a jointly optimal probe and image-parameter design, in which the variability of image quality (image quality) is minimally impacted by manufacturing tolerances. These tolerances strongly influence the production costs. A comprehensive method for achieving these objectives is needed.
The matching of a new prototype probe to a given ultrasound imager is highly resource-intensive. Typically, an engineer manually varies parameters such as the F-numbers for each focal zone and receive depth, in order to improve image quality parameters such as image uniformity, detail and contrast resolution, etc. One way to increase an imager's value to the customer is by providing preset parameter sets with which the physician can rapidly set the machine up for a given examination. To maximize the image quality potential, a modern imager may have several thousand parameters affecting each preset. There is a need for a process of choosing these parameters that can be at least partially automated for new probes. This process should also allow more mundane tasks, such as the porting of a probe to a new platform, to be completely automated. Several months of time-to-market advantage can be realized using such a method, as well as an improvement in engineering productivity.